Cleo E. (Miller) Green

Cleo E. Green

Photo courtesy of Joshua Brackett's Eagle Scout Project

(January 17, 1919 - November 30, 1996)

The Lusk Herald

December 4, 1996

Cleo E. Green

Cleo E. Green, 77, of Riverton died Nov. 30, 1996, at the home of her daughter, Melba Lee. A funeral was Dec. 4, 1996, at the Davis Funeral Home in Riverton. The Rev. Earl Detwiler of the United Methodist Church officiated. A memorial service is Dec. 5 at 10 a.m. at the Church of Christ in Lusk with burial following at 11 a.m. at the Lusk Cemetery. Memorials may be made to the Riverton Senior Citizens Center for sick room equipment or to Wind River Hospital.

She was born Jan. 17, 1919, in Antioch, Neb., to Melvin Miller and Ollie Canfield Miller. When she was born, her mother was staying with her mother in Antioch until her father came home from France, where he served during World War I. She was past one-year-old before he got back. At this time, the three of them returned to the homestead about 30 miles north of Lusk.

Her life was spent in many parts of the U.S. She was raised in the Hat Creek area, where she went to the old Hat Creek School first through eight grade. She then went to Alliance, Neb., and back to Lusk High School. She only completed the 10th grade when she went to work in her parents' cafe in Manville.

She lived in that area until her marriage to H. J. (Rd) Leffingwell Aug. 17, 1938, in Hot Springs, S.D. They had two children, Melba and Bessie, both born in Lusk. The family lived in the Lusk and Lance Creek areas and in Cody, Basin and many other Wyoming towns. In the oil field work, they traveled throughout Montana, Colorado, Utah, Nebraska and North Dakota. Then they moved to Adel, Iowa, where they lived for many years. They returned to Wyoming in 1961, living in Basin, Gillette, Riverton and back to Lusk, where H. J. died in March 1970. At that time, she moved to Riverton to be with her daughter, Melba, and family.

In July 1970, she married Orville Cooley, who died Jan. 2, 1976.

She married Lester Green on July 3, 1976. He died on April 22, 1996.

She worked in dress shops in Adel, Gillette, Lusk and Riverton and co-managed the Airport Cafe in Riverton with Blanche Bessey in the late '70s.

She was a member of the United Methodist Church of Riverton and the Veterans of Foreign War Auxiliary in Manville.

Her family says, "Cleo was always the perfect lady and was always perfectly dressed, as shopping was her special hobby after living on the homestead with six brothers and sisters and living through the Great Depression and World War II. Red was Cleo's favorite color and most times she had red on, much brighter that the flour sack dresses of the '20s and '30s. Traveling and dancing and visiting with people were things Cleo enjoyed very much. Cleo and Les had lived in Arizona, but Wyoming was always Cleo's love, and Riverton was where she wanted to be. One of the highlights of Cleo's and Les' life was when they won a dance contest in Kirby one evening and they did not realize a contest was even on." She also enjoyed writing poetry.

Survivors include daughters Melba Lee of Riverton and Bessie Hopkin and her husband, Glen of Hyattville; grandchildren John Lee and Janet Lee of Jackson, Dawn Lee Brown and Art Brown of Biloxi, Miss., Gwen Hopkin Hoyt and Don Hoyt of Burlington, Jerry Hopkin and Heath Hopkin, both of Basin, Terilyn Hopkin Mayland and Ben Mayland of Lander, Jackie Cooley Armstrong and Don Armstrong of Salt Lake City, Jim and Barbara Green of Casper, Carland Linda Green of Texas, Justin Green of California, Vince and Cyrilin Green of Shoshoni; great-grandchildren John Hamilton Lee and Jaime Lee, Stephanie Brown and Arieanna Brown, Colter Hoyt, the children of Jim and Barbara Green, the children of Carl and Linda Green, the daughters of Justin Green, and Leslie, Wendy, Vince Jr., and LaVon Green; son-in-law Jack Stamper and children of Arizona; sisters Lila Miller Stratton and her husband Jim of Lance Creek, June Miller Terrell and her husband Dale of Douglas, and Jean Miller Matthews Beck and her husband Richard of Riverton; brother Jack Miller and his wife Mary of Casper; sisters-in-law Elnora Miller of Riverton and Maxine Miller of Sheridan; many nieces and nephews throughout Wyoming. Two special ladies she called her "special extra daughters" were Pat Acton of Riverton and Babe Olson of Elko, Nev.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husbands; brothers Lloyd Miller on Sept. 16, 1982, in Lusk and Don Miller on May 7, 1996, in Riverton; and step-daughter Elizabeth Green Stamper in June 1996.